MELVINS

Now that groups like Boris, Sun 0))) and Earth have fully exploited the doomy drone concept that the Melvins pio­neered, Buzz Osborne and Dale Crover aren’t content to keep pounding out the same old sludge. So the Melvins co-foun­ders are using the extra rhythmic thrust provided by the add-on Big Business unit of bassist Jared Warren and drummer Coady Willis to take a detour into 70s metal and boogie rock, which is the most radical move they could imagine.

The walloping guitar riffs that people love about the Melvins, though still pre­sent on Nude With Boots, now come with throwback effects and are generally at a faster grind. Whereas the vocal bits have often seemed like an afterthought in the past, King Buzzo has given more consideration here to his singing and the interplay of backing vocals, layered screams and what could be confused for harmonies.

It’s slightly less menacing, yet without a discernible drop in power, which should go down well in the burbs without alienating their hipster metal following.